Immortality begins with the Swordsman.

Chapter 18: Success and Failure Both Stemmed from Sword Qi

"There is nothing wrong with emphasizing heavy sword or heavy qi, but it is a big mistake to emphasize both sword and qi."

……

Gu Changfeng stared blankly at Daoist Zixiao, unsure how to respond for a moment.

In his mind, there was nothing wrong with the statement itself.

Anyone can say that, but not the Purple Cloud Daoist.

Because he is the leader of the Qi School, he must steadfastly uphold "taking Qi as the primary principle" as the correct guiding principle; all other ideas, even if not wrong, must be wrong.

If even the sect leader harbors ulterior motives, the disciples below will only stray even further.

Ning Zhongze was still young and didn't understand much, so she tilted her head and asked, "Master, there's nothing wrong with emphasizing the sword and emphasizing the inner energy, so why is 'emphasizing both sword and inner energy' wrong?"

Master Zixiao's gaze was calm, and his tone was even: "There are many mediocre people in the world. It is already difficult for a person to do one thing well in a lifetime. If one is greedy and wants both, then one will often be mediocre in both."

Gu Changfeng pondered for a moment, then asked, "What if it's a genius?"

Master Zixiao rolled his eyes at him and said, "Geniuses can certainly excel in both, but I personally believe that if they can focus on one thing, they are more likely to surpass their predecessors and reach an unprecedented height."

"Take your Uncle Feng for example—among his peers, his talent is unparalleled, but he insists on 'emphasizing both sword and qi.' Before he had a fortuitous encounter and learned the 'Nine Swords of Dugu,' he could only be ranked below me and your Uncle Cai..."

Gu Changfeng had never seen Feng Qingyang's "Nine Swords of Dugu" and was unaware of its mysteries, so he inquired, "Master, is the 'Nine Swords of Dugu' really that powerful?"

Master Zixiao nodded and said, "It is indeed powerful, and it is said to be able to break all martial arts in the world. However, it may not be able to break my heavy sword or your Uncle Cai's fast sword now."

Gu Changfeng asked doubtfully, "Master, Uncle Feng is now hailed as the 'Number One Martial Arts Master in the World.' Are you and Uncle Cai really his match? You're not exaggerating, are you?"

Master Zixiao's face darkened, and he said angrily, "Go away, don't interrupt me. What I was trying to say was: even without any extraordinary encounters, your Uncle Feng would have reached his current level with his talent, whether it's heavy sword or heavy qi."

"Therefore, no matter who you are, only by focusing on one thing can you achieve something. I understand this principle, and so does your Uncle Cai."

Upon hearing this, Gu Changfeng seemed to understand something and said, "Since you all understand that emphasizing swordsmanship and internal energy is correct, why not explain this clearly, teach according to aptitude, be friendly and respectful to each other, and create a glorious future together? Why are you all fighting tooth and nail over the 'battle of swordsmanship and internal energy'?"

Master Zixiao chuckled softly, his eyes as deep as an abyss: "Is there any possibility that the so-called 'battle of sword energy' was actually orchestrated by your Uncle Cai and me?"

This?

Gu Changfeng was stunned, he could hardly believe his ears.

Regarding the "sword energy conflict," he had considered it to be a difference in ideology, and even suspected it to be a power struggle, but he never expected that it was a scheme orchestrated by his master and Uncle Cai.

Master Zixiao's expression turned solemn, his eyes suddenly turning cold: "The Demonic Sect has twice invaded my mountain gate, killed my fathers, and humiliated Mount Hua! How can such a blood feud go unpunished?"

"But at that time, Mount Hua was nearly wiped out of its masters, and there was a severe shortage of capable successors. How easy would it be to seek revenge?"

"So, after discussing it with your Uncle Cai, we decided on the strategy of the 'Sword Qi Competition' and personally instigated the disciples of the two sects to compete."

"Competition is the source of motivation."

"In just over thirty years, our Huashan Sect has produced a wealth of talent. In our generation alone, we have nine Grandmasters and more than twenty first-rate experts. And look at your generation: you, Buqun, Buxiu, Buzhi, Buping, Buyou, Buqi, and Cai Yatou, all of you have already shown your talent. This is the result of the 'Battle of Sword Qi'."

Ning Zhongze pouted and said, "Master, there's me too."

Master Zixiao smiled and said softly, "Yes, and there's our Ze'er too."

At this point, his expression darkened slightly, and he hesitated, "But...but—"

The words were on the tip of his tongue, but he couldn't continue...

Suddenly, a steady voice came from behind him, continuing his sentence:

"But—it was the sword energy that brought us success, and it was also the sword energy that brought us failure."

"Now on Mount Hua, the blood feud of more than 30 years ago has long been forgotten. The entire family is only concerned with fighting for power and profit, and is so immersed in internal strife that they cannot extricate themselves. They no longer have the slightest thought of revenge, which is chilling."

Gu Changfeng suddenly turned around.

A figure appeared silently; it was none other than Cai Qingyan, the sect leader of the Sword Sect.

He was dressed in gray, with a tall and straight figure, a sword and a flask of wine in his hand, clear eyes and a calm expression, and his demeanor exuded a sense of elegance and otherworldly grace.

"Greetings, Uncle Cai."

"Greetings, Uncle Cai."

Gu Changfeng and Ning Zhongze quickly bowed.

Cai Qingyan waved his hand, glanced casually at Daoist Zixiao, and said with a half-smile, "So you're planning to pass the sect leader position to Changfeng, not giving your son a chance?"

Master Zixiao did not answer, but pointed to the cave entrance in the stone wall and said, "Zhang Chengyun and Zhang Chengfeng left something interesting inside. Would you like to go and take a look?"

Cai Qingyan frowned slightly: "What is it?"

Master Zixiao instructed, "Changfeng, take your Uncle Cai inside to take a look."

"Yes!" Gu Changfeng replied.

A moment later.

Cai Qingyan emerged from the cave, his expression unchanged, his tone calm: "Zhang Chengyun and Zhang Chengfeng were once renowned figures, but I never imagined they would have such short-sightedness. Techniques are static, but people are dynamic. No matter how cleverly you counter a move, if you encounter a true master, you can only be slaughtered."

Master Zixiao sighed and said, "Back then, our Huashan Sect was almost wiped out by these people. It was truly shameful. If we were to meet them again now, they would be nothing more than a rabble."

Cai Qingyan said, "Senior Brother Yue is amazing."

Master Zixiao said, "Junior Brother Cai is not bad either."

The two smiled at each other and raised their glasses to drink together.

Looking at the two of them, Gu Changfeng suddenly understood:

The two were originally fellow disciples, and both carried a deep-seated blood feud. With the same goal, how could they really be as irreconcilable enemies as rumored in the martial arts world?

They were just too good at disguising themselves. People from both factions, or rather the entire martial arts world, thought they had long since become enemies due to their differing ideologies.

A battle of sword energy.

The world watched the infighting among the Huashan Sect members as a joke, but little did they know that the Huashan Sect grew stronger step by step amidst such "jokes," reaching its peak since its founding.

Those two old Dengs are really too insidious.

That's what I was thinking.

Gu Changfeng suddenly heard a clear sound.

Cai Qingyan smashed the wine bowl in his hand to pieces with a "crack," his expression turning icy: "Gu Changfeng, you insulted my Sword Sect a few days ago, saying they were 'hypocritical and hypocritical.' Tell me, how should I, the Sword Sect Master, treat you?"